BC Hydro CEO steps down amid power controversy

Bob Elton is stepping down after six years as president and CEO of Crown-owned BC Hydro, sparking rumours he may have been pushed out by the Campbell government.

Eltonhas been at the helm of theprovincial power corporation during a time of sweeping changes in government energy policy.

But on Wednesday, board chair Dan Doyle issued a brief statement saying Elton would be "transitioning" to a new role as special adviser to Hydro's board and as executive chair of Powertech Labs Inc., a technology-consulting subsidiary of Hydro.

A BC Hydro spokesman said no one including Elton would be available to discuss the reason for the shift, but it's no secret that BC Hydro has been caught in the middle of a controversy over thegovernment's policy with the province's independent utilities commission.

'The CEO of the company clearly didn't see the world the same way that the premier's office did.' John Horgan, B.C. NDP energy critic

B.C.NDP energy critic John Horgan is drawing his ownlinks to the recent controversy.

"The CEO of the company clearly didn't see the world the same way that the premier's office did, the same way that the minister's office did. Consequently they found another place for him to spend his time for the next year or so until he hits retirement age."

Elton's long-term plan rejected

TheB.C. Liberal government has said that by 2020 half of B.C.'s new energy must be met through conservation, and much of the rest should come from private, independent power producers.

Those independent power producers became a hot issue during the May provincial electionwhen environmentalists raised concernsabout the environmental impact of plans to build run-of-the-river power plants on many B.C. rivers.

Thenin July,the B.C. Utilities Commission, which regulates the Crown corporation, rejected BC Hydro's long-term plan based on the government's policy.

The controversial decision bythe independent commission pulled the plug on BC Hydro'splan to buy electricity from dozens of run-of-river and wind-power projects, saying the long-term acquisition scheme is not practical orin the public interest.

The commission directed BC Hydro to make up the needed power insteady by using the Burrard Thermal power plant near Vancouver.

Last week, the province issued a directive telling the regulator and BC Hydro to end reliance on the gas-fired Burrard Thermal plant except in emergencies, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.